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When Joe ‘The Brown Bomber’ won the world heavyweight title, defeating champion James Braddock in June 1937, he said: “Until I defeat Max Schmeling, I will not be the champion!” He was talking about his KO loss in 1936. He got revenge in 1939 at Madison Square Garden, knocking out Schmeling in the first round.
When ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, 27-0, lost to Roberto ‘Hands of Stone’ Durán, 71-1, in June 1980 in the Duran fight, he got a rematch. He boxed Durán so badly that Durán resigned in November.
In April 1987, Leonard defeated Marvin Hagler for his middleweight title. Hagler retired and moved to Italy, not wanting a rematch.
In April 2002, lightweight champion Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather earned a gift decision over José Luis Castillo. Eight months later, he gave him his revenge, defeating him easily.
In June 2012, Manny ‘Pac Man’ Pacquiao was robbed by Tim Bradley, Jr., but in April 2014, he defeated Bradley in a rematch.
In November 2016, Andre “SOG” Ward earned a gift decision over Sergey Kovalev in a light heavyweight title fight and gave him an immediate rematch, stopping Kovalev and then retired from boxing.
Heavyweight champion Rock Marciano earned a close, if not contested, decision over Roland LaStarza in March 1950 before winning the title. After stopping ‘Jersey’ Joe Walcott for the title and again in his next fight, he stopped LaStarza.
In November 1986, super featherweight champion Alfredo Escalera won the worst split decision over Philadelphia’s Tyrone Everett in Philadelphia. He never received a rematch and the Pennsylvania judge who voted for Escalara never worked another show.
Historian Jim Jacobs told me that the worst decision he ever saw was in June 1963, when Willie Pastrano stole light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson by split decision and never got a rematch.
Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali lost to Ken Norton and Smokin’ Joe Frazier in their first fights, but defeated both twice in rematches.
In June 1983, heavyweight champion Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes, 42-0, earned a gift decision in a defense against ‘Terrible’ Tim Witherspoon, 15-0, and never gave him a rematch.
What fight have you wanted to see in a rematch that never happened?
